Music

Coming on at 10:30 after a thunderstorm, Del Rey ran through her hits and brought 3 surprise guests on stage.

Lana Del Rey at Fenway Park, Boston, June 20, 2024

Lana Del Rey didn’t have an opener planned for her sold-out Fenway Park concert Thursday night. Instead, a swift but torrential thunderstorm stepped in for the job.

But even with a two-hour delay and a shortened show, the alt-pop icon’s first-ever U.S. stadium concert was enchanting. She captured her Hollywood glamor with a dozen back-up dancers, a fountain, champagne, and pole dancing. But songs from “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” — Del Rey’s 2023 album that inspired her current tour — had soft, intimate moments that would have fit in at a smaller venue.

Del Rey, born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, brought a special night to Fenway. Three surprise guests joined the native New Yorker on stage for her shortened set over the course of the night — Mason Ramsey on “Blue Over You,” Stephen Sanchez on “Until I Found You,” and Quavo for a debut of their unreleased song, “Tough.” 

The Coachella headliner was set to come on stage any minute, but storm clouds over the Green Monster were darkening. Just after 8:30 p.m., fans on the field and without cover in the stands had to seek shelter within the concourse. Shortly after, cold rain fell fast and didn’t let up until after 10 p.m.

As the rain kept coming down, a cancellation was possible to accommodate Fenway’s infamous 11 p.m. noise curfew. Del Rey took to Instagram (in a since-deleted post) to ask fans if she should do a shortened show or come back on Saturday night. Most wanted Del Rey to stick around on Thursday, even if it meant paying a fine.

“I flew in with my son from Arkansas. Please!!!!! We leave tomorrow. I’m a teacher and don’t have the money to book another flight,” read one comment with more than 1,700 likes.

“Oh, Boston, we’re doing it,” Del Rey said when she finally took the stage. “Thank you for waiting. I guess we’ll just cruise through as magically as we can with our curfew.”

The show began with the spraying of champagne bottles, which definitely captured how many fans felt once the concert finally kicked off at 10:30. A dozen backup dancers with 1920s props joined Del Rey for hits “Without You,” “Summertime Sadness,” and “West Coast,” all released more than a decade ago.

The lights then came up for Del Rey’s first surprise. Ramsey — maybe better known as the Walmart yodeling boy — came onstage and performed his new song “Blue Over You” with Del Rey, who called him a “once in a generation” talent. 

The now-17-year-old is an up-and-coming country star and set to play in Worcester next weekend. Del Rey’s new release “Lasso,” due in September, is also slated to be a country album.

Del Rey hit shortened versions of “Ride” and “Born to Die” before heading into two songs from “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.” “The Grants” spotlighted her backup singers, and the stage crew brought out four chairs for an intimate “Ocean Blvd.”

By now, Del Rey was clearly rushing to squeeze in as much as she could. She brought out Sanchez for a rendition of his viral song “Until I Found You” before Quavo ran out on stage for one of the final songs.

Del Rey and Quavo, a former member of Migos, teased their new song “Tough” on Instagram the day before the historic concert. Their genre-bending live debut was catchy and fun.

She finished with her 2012 hit “Video Games” just after 11:30, closing out a rushed night with a condensed setlist and multiple shortened songs. But it didn’t matter. Del Rey brought a captivating show to Fenway Park, even if fans were missing hits like “A&W” and “Young and Beautiful.”

She promised fans she’ll find a way to get the two-hour show back to fans “somehow, somewhere.” 

“It’s been a dream to see Fenway Park full,” Del Rey said. “Thank you so much for singing along for the last 12 years.”

Setlist for Lana Del Rey at Fenway Park, June 20, 2024

• Without You
• West Coast
• Summertime Sadness
• Cherry
• Pretty When You Cry
• Blue Over You (with Mason Ramsey)
• Ride
• Born To Die
• Chemtrails Over The Country Club
• The Grants
• Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
• Until I Found You (with Stephen Sanchez)
• Tough (with Quavo)
• Video Games